OK, so now I can officially say I've had it, the dreaded writer's block. Days on end came and went and everything I wrote struck me as sheer garbage. What did I do when it happened (other than shriek and sob and jump up and down and stomp my feet)? And how did I escape (without the use of any illegal substances)? And do I believe there is any way I can keep from going back there again?Here's a few thoughts.
When I started to panic and get upset, it only got worse. Once I realized in my unemotional, uncreative state, I was in a great frame-of-mind to do work very methodically, I shrugged my shoulders, started reworking some sections of my memoir, wrote some fitness articles that required extensive research, started a blog, and constructed a plot outline for my new novel. I used this non-creative time productively (almost - actually, I started the blog to postpone doing actual work).
When thoughts and ideas started to resume, I veered off the road, hung up the phone or got out of bed no matter what time of night and started writing.
Nearly daily, I forced myself to write for 30 minutes and found that toward the end of this time, my writing became almost passable. This made me want to continue. When I stuck with it for more than one hour, I produced high quality work.
I read more books, listened to more books on CD, wrote up a list of cool words I wanted to work into my new novel. And this stimulated more desire to write. And if you listen to funny YA novels (such as the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series), they are bound to lift your spirits and lead you to imagine that you are really not getting old at all.
I'm off and running with my new novel now. And I want to keep it that way. So how can I keep from returning to the land of the non-writing again? And what is my advice to others? Being the highly definitive person I am, I feel I must leave you with this answer - I'm not sure. I say find something or someone that inspires you and make the most of it while it lasts. Because wildly creative moments are amazing. They don't last forever but even when they end, another awaits... if you hang in there long enough. So good luck to you and now I'm back to Belizean dive boat accidents and deadly meteorite falls and a sizzling hot romance that lasts forever (if the protagonist prevails).
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As I sit here unable to think of what to write because I have a permanent writes block, I think of a very special person in my life who is always able to sit down at her computer and let the words just flow as though they were trapped inside her and ready to explode onto the computer screen. This special person is my wife who always tries so hard to make me happy, to want so much to be sure I am pleased with her writing. Sometimes I may not give her writing enough attention because I am distracted with other thoughts or duties, but when I take time to think of how lucky I am to have such a wonderful and committed wife, I feel like the must lucky man alive. I love you Susan, Happy Anniversary!!!
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